Sleepless
by n1n93
Summary: Ruby can't seem to get to sleep. A collection of drabbles ranging from humor to angst. Prompt suggestions welcome!
1. Sleepless

**_~*Little drabbly drabble please read and review. Constructive criticism welcome! *~_**

With a long suffering sigh Ruby Rose turned onto her side for what must have been the twentieth time in the last half hour. A quick glance at her scroll told her it was nearing one in the morning and she still had yet to find a comfortable spot. She blamed her pillow for not being soft enough, her blankets for not being snugly enough, and last but not least her brain for running a million miles a minute.

The days events ran through her mind over and over. So much so even her legs were starting to get tired. She didn't even think that was possible but here she was.

With a groan she rolled onto her back, throwing an arm over her face. She had once again let her own social awkwardness get the better of her and now Weiss was angry. Well angrier.

"Ruby if you roll over one more time I will not be held responsible for my actions." Came the tired voice of the white themed huntress in question. Ruby froze mid turn, silver eyes wide.

"Sorry Weiss." She whispers back, carefully not to wake her snoring sister or her faunus counterpart. "Can't sleep."

"Why?" The weight below her shifted as Weiss sat up. Ruby scrambled to find a good explanation. She didn't want to make her partner any angrier.

"I-I well um.. that is to say.. I wanted to say I mean.. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Closing her eyes she waits for a response.

"That's why you're still awake? Something as silly as dumping yogurt in my lap at lunch? You really are a dunce." Ruby winced, shifting to lay on her back once more. The heiress huffed, her voice a bit softer now. "Get some sleep alright. I don't want to be the one to blame when you fall asleep in class tomorrow. Besides.. I accept your apology so there should be nothing to worry about right?"

With a small smile Ruby listened as Weiss settled back down into bed, "Right.. night Weiss."

"Good night Ruby."

"Good night Ruby." Came a sleepy snicker from the bunk opposite Ruby. The younger huntress threw her corgi pillow at her sister.

 _ **~* Thanks for reading! I don't own RWBY obviously! *~**_


	2. Detangled

**_~*_** **Ayyyyy New drabbly drabble! Taking suggestions and prompts!*~**

Yang sighed for what must have been the 35th time by Blake's count. The feline Faunus refused to acknowledge her partners lack of enthusiasm for their current situation, focusing instead on the task at hand. Her nimble fingers worked diligently at the knots that had formed in the brawler's wild blonde mane. After a simple mission through the woods near Beacon to recover a token for training purposes the blonde had somehow managed to fall into a bramble patch off the beaten path. Ruby had laughed and Weiss had shaken her head, chiding the blonde for her lack of awareness. Blake had watched Yang with quiet golden eyes, watching her fret over her precious hair for the remainder of the mission.

Now the two sat, Blake on her bed and Yang on the floor just in front of her. Blake smiled softly as she worked through another knot, the memory filed away for safe keeping in her mind. One day she would remind Yang of just how silly she had looked trying and failing to work through the tangles herself.

The sound of Ruby and Weiss' bickering was the only sound in their shared room. The two were seated at the desk, notes scattered about as they worked on new team formations. Ruby stood quickly, knocking her chair back, "With a whoosh Weiss c'mon! You know! Whooosh!" She waved her hand through the air.

Weiss jerked up from her seat, waving her hands just as enthusiastically. It was a regular occurrence for the heiress and their leader to argue over strategy. "And I'm telling you that 'whoosh' is not a proper term to describe this formations final part!"

"If you think so why don't you just whoosh up a good phrase then!"

"How about 'flourish of the scythe combined with the amplifying glyph!'"

"What you described is a 'whoosh' Weiss."

Yang laughed, and Blake couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She gently tugged Yang's hair into a ponytail, finished with the detangling process. The blonde leaned her head back to look at Blake, lavender eyes dancing with amusement. "Finished Blakey?"

"I am. You are officially tangle free." She says with a soft smile. Yang grins, shifting to stand and stretch.

"Thanks a million Blake. I don't know how long it woulda taken me to get all those burs out let alone detangle it all!" Yang caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the back of their dorms door, grinning. "I haven't worn my hair up since I was little. Do you like it?"

"It suits you." Blake says shifting to grab her book from the foot of her bed.

Just as Yang was about to respond their door slammed open, Nora Valkyrie let out a battle cry and without warning their small dorm became a battle ground.

 **~*Thanks for reading!*~**


	3. 10

**~* TW: Abuse. Still taking prompt suggestions!*~**

Weiss watched through the crack between the door and the frame, crystal blue eyes wide. It was almost midnight when she had snuck out of her room to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen. It was a long walk through the cold mansion but she didn't want to wake anyone for such a simple thing. She was on her way back to her room when she heard yelling from her father's study.

Her father and mother were having another spat and she knew she should leave and go back to bed. That it would resolve itself in another bottle of wine and another business trip. Just as she was about to turn away he raised his hand, back handing her mother in one swift motion. In that swift motion her eyes locked with her mothers and she knew there was no hiding what she had witnessed.

She turned on her heel, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran all the way back to her room and launched herself into her overly large bed.

She expected her mother to come to her that night and explain away what had happened in the study but she never did. When she went to breakfast the following morning, the older woman wasn't present. Her father didn't even look at her as he finished his meal in silence. Leaving her alone at the table.

At the age of 10 Weiss Schnee had never felt more alone.

 **~*Thank you for reading!*~**


	4. Loss

**~*Update spam tonight! Ayyyy! Still taking prompts and suggestions.*~**

Cold.

She was so cold.

A shiver ran down her spine, the force of it bringing her closer to consciousness. She became vaguely aware that she was laying on cool and unforgiving stone.

Where was she…?

The last thing she could remember was-

Red eyes flickered open, a ragged gasp escaping her as her memory came flooding back. Hands pushed her back to the unforgiving stone. She fought against them with what little energy she could muster, her semblance flickering like a flame of a candle at the end of its wick.

"Yang!" One voice broke through the haze that had settled over her mind. "Please stop!"

Red eyes faded to lavender as she blinked in an attempt to see her surroundings clearly. The first face she saw was Nora's. The usually bubbly red head's face was bruised and worn, worry tugging at her brow. Her eyes wondered to her left, toward the voice… Toward Blake.

Her heart calmed as she found the faunus, "Blakey…" She croaked, cringing inwardly at the sound of her own voice.

At the sound of her voice Blake's face twisted, the anguish and hurt in her eyes hit Yang as though someone had slapped her across the face. "I'm so sorry…" Her voice was constricted, her emotions threatening to spill over.

"What… What happened?" Yang asks, trying to sit up once more only to have a strong hand hold her down. Looking around she found Ren, his gaze stern. "What happened?" She asks again, panic bubbling up in her chest. She tries to push Ren's hand away but somethings off.

Something is wrong.

"It's all my fault…" Blake's voice is distant.

Something is very wrong.

Where is her arm.

Lavender mixes with red, her chest heaving as she tries to breath. Where was her arm?

"Yang!"

Red locks with gold and Yang finally understands what has happened. She understands why Blake is sorry. She understands why she thinks it's her fault. Her face twists with agony and disbelief, hot tears slipping down her cheeks.

They had lost…

 **~* Thanks for reading*~**


	5. Puma or Cougar?

**~* Little longer than usual! Might continue this one later*~**

The ringing in her ears was the first thing she was truly aware of as she forced her eyes open. The world around her was bright and blinding and it took her just a bit longer than usual to focus on her surroundings. She was leaning back against a tree, the sun shining through the leaves and across her face. Cloudy silver eyes took in the landscape around her but didn't really process what she was seeing.

Blurs of movement danced along the forest in unpredictable patterns, wind kicking up when they got too close to where she rested against the tree. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to make sense of everything, her mind felt like it was full of cotton.

A dull ache in the back of her head slowly came to her attention, growing into a sharp throb. Blinking through the new-found pain she found herself just a little more aware of her surroundings, sounds forcing their way through the ringing in her ears as clouded silver followed the blurs of motion.

That's right.

They were fighting grimm. Her team had been tasked out to a nearby town to dispatch of a small infestation. Their intel didn't include the type of grimm they would be facing and she hadn't expected the large cat like creature they faced. It reminded her of a cougar almost.

It was quick and had heard them coming. Leaping from a tree it caught the girls by surprise, swiping a large paw- Ruby groaned as she remembered how she had tumbled across the forest floor, her head cracking against the tree she now rested against. Weiss wasn't going to let her live this one down.

With a less than dignified grunt she shifted from her spot, moving to stand. A wave of nausea interrupted her progress, the world around her spinning dangerously on a new axis. With a soft hiss she dropped back to the ground, leaning against the tree as she caught her breath. Something was weird here.

Her aura should have protected her from a blow like that.

She was startled from her thoughts by a pair of brown boots that skidded to a halt right in front of her. With some effort she followed the boots upward to find her sister in a defensive stance, her golden hair glowing in the sunlight. "You awake there Ruby? That thing has friends." Yang says, her voice low as she keeps her eyes on the shadows around them. The sound of blades clashing against something almost metallic drifted through the trees. Blake and Weiss were undoubtedly still busy fighting the grimm somewhere close by.

"I'm awake." She cringes, her voice sounded as weak as she felt. Her aura worked slowly at healing the damage done, stopping the flow of blood first before moving on to the more internal wounds. Running a hand over the back of her head she found her hair matted with blood, her head was still sore to the touch and she felt a little vertigo when she moved to stand. Staggering slightly, she looked around for her precious scythe.

It was lodged in a nearby tree, the curve of the blade buried in the bark. It took more effort than she was willing to admit to pull it free. "We need to regroup and retreat. Head back to the village and come up with a better way to deal with the cougars."

"Cougar? I was thinking they looked more like pumas." Yang said watching as her younger sister shifted Crescent Rose to rest over her left shoulder.

Ruby scoffed, "C'mon Yang they are obviously cougar's!"

The two bickered as Ruby loaded a cartridge of flares into her rifle, firing a red one into the sky. "Have you even seen a puma in real life?"

"Have you ever seen a cougar?"

The two ran off toward their regroup point, watching for any sign of their teammates or the grimm. Blake dropped from above to join them, a scratch along her cheek healing slowly. Ruby took note of the injury as they ran. Weiss joined them soon after, grumbling about being left behind. Once they were together they made their way back toward the village.

The four made their way to the towns inn, retiring to their shared room to rest and talk over there strategy. It was obvious there was something odd going on either in the forest or with the grimm. Ruby couldn't remember ever hearing about a type of grimm that could instantly bypass aura.

"It's gotta be something in the forest." She says, one hand on her chin as she thought through the pain in her head. It took a great deal of concentration to work through a strategy when her head felt like it was going to split in two.

"I did see some odd fungus on some of the tree." Blake adds helpfully, sipping at a bottle of water. Her cheek was still healing. "I think I've read about them. I don't remember the name but they are rare. The primary use for the fungus is in aura poisoning or aura suppressants."

"Why would anyone want to suppress their aura?" Yang asks through a mouthful of food. She had made herself a sandwich while the others spoke.

"Well for starters mind your manners." Weiss says, watching the blonde brawler with a scowl.

"There have been some cases where people are unable to control their aura. Especially when sleeping. It is more common in people with reactive aura like yourself, Yang." Blake adds quickly as Yang taunts Weiss by opening her mouth to expose her half-chewed food.

"So we just happened to stumble into a field of aura zapping fungus?" Ruby asks with a small frown.

Yang swallows the last bit of her sandwich, wiping her hands together to rid them of crumbs, "What if the grimm are hangin' out here on purpose. Could be that they noticed what the fungus did."

"That's ridiculous." Weiss huffs, frowning. "Although it isn't unheard of…" She thought back to the books on grimm migratory patterns and behaviors. The cougar grimm were likely smarter than the average beowolf. She had witnessed firsthand their abilities.

Ruby nods, looking between her three teammates, "So it's simple. We rest up for the night and head out in the morning. Get some fancy stuff to cover our faces so we don't breathe in the fungus dust or whatever and finish the mission."

"Or we could read up on the fungus and actually form a coherent plan." Weiss suggests, waving her hand dismissively.

Ruby pouts, "I mean we could."

"Or we could use the tried and true method of trial and error" Yang says with a grin.

"I am more concerned that the error will end in a maiming." Weiss says, crossing her arms.

Blake sighs, "The longer we wait the more grimm will be attracted to the area. With smart pack leaders they will likely wipe out the village pretty soon."

Weiss frowns, "Not you too Blake." The faunus shrugs, offering an apologetic smile.

"Alright we leave at sunrise!" Ruby exclaims with a grin and Yang pumps her fist in excitement for the coming battle.

 **~* Thanks for reading!*~**


	6. To Protect

**~*Ayyyyy *~**

Yang sighed, watching as the clouds drifted by overhead. Her body was sore and her mind was tired but she felt good. The way Ruby looked up to her with shining silver eyes- as though she were a superhero- it made her want to work harder and harder. At age 10 she was already being scouted by Signal.

A giggle was the only warning she received before an 8-year-old bundle of girl plopped across her torso. "You're back! I missed you so much! How was it in Vale? Did Uncle Qrow take you sightseeing? Did you get to see Beacon? Did you go into Signal? Are there any good weapons shops? Did you see any faunus? How was the airship ride?" Yang laughs, wrapping her arms around her younger sister as she spewed question after question.

"Vale was nice. No, he didn't. I saw it from the town but we didn't go. Yeah it was cool. There are a couple that I saw when we walked through town. There were lots of faunus. The airship ride was cool I could see almost all of patch we were up so high!" Ruby giggles as Yang lifts her up. "How was home? Did you and dad do anything fun?"

Ruby nods, shifting to lay beside her sister instead of on top of her. She looks up at the sky with a smile. "We baked a bunch of stuff and he set up an obstacle course for me to practice on. He says I'm real fast when I wanna be. He says it could be my semblance!"

"That's great Rubes!"

"Yeah I wanna hurry up and get it so I can start training like you. I'm gonna be a huntress too someday like you and like mom and Uncle Qrow." She sits up with a grin, determination obvious in her silver eyes. Yang watches her for a moment, awestruck by just how resolute her younger sister sounded. "I want to help people and be like whoosh!" She flops back in the grass with a giggle.

Yang smiles, reaching out to hold Ruby's hand. "We'll do it together okay? I'll always have your back." Ruby squeezes her hand and the two watch the clouds for just a moment longer before their father calls them inside for dinner. Yang trots in behind Ruby, determination settling in her lilac eyes.

She would protect Ruby. No matter what.

-

Yang watched Ruby walk down the dim hallway with a full back pack on. She was on a mission to fix what Cinder had broken. Watching as she disappeared down the hall she couldn't even muster the energy to think of following her, fist curling in the bedspread.

She had failed. Ruby was on her own and there was nothing she could do to protect her. She couldn't protect Blake what made her think she could protect Ruby.

She couldn't protect anyone…

 **~* Thanks for reading*~**


	7. Too Late

**~*Still taking prompt ideas!*~**

The pain started out as a dull ache. Ruby tried to grasp at exactly where it was coming from as she floated toward consciousness. Her body was sore all over, her ribs throbbed as she shifted and she knew a few may have been cracked. She wanted to open her eyes to find the source but the movement of her lids sent a sharp pain through her skull, white hot and unforgiving. She gasped. Her breathing shallow and quick, her mind very much awake and aware now.

What happened?

She remembered walking into an abandoned village with Jaune, Ren, and Nora but nothing more. Not even their conversations in the village. Had they been attacked by grimm?

Ruby froze as a soft hand brushed against her cheek, alerting her to another persons presence. A whimper slipped through her lips, it sounded feeble even in her own ears. "Its alright I've got you..." The familiar voice of her uncle murmured, sending a wave of relief through her anxiety ridden bones. "I've got you..."

She tries to open her eyes again to look at him, the sharp pain stopped her right eye lid in its tracks but her left eye fluttered open to take in the very worried, very tired face of her uncle. "Uncle Qrow.." She croaks, her words slurring slightly. It was then that she realized just how drowsy she still was. Her thoughts were heavy, working their way through her mind as though they were travelling through mud.

"Easy there. Lets get you some water okay?" He murmurs, leaning out of her sight for a moment to pick up a bottle. Gently sliding one arm under her shoulders her guided her upright and held the bottle for her to drink. "Slowly." She forces herself to slow down, water slipping from the corners of her mouth.

When she's done he lowers her back down to her sleeping bag. She looks up at the night sky warily, her one silver eye cloudy. "We'll get moving again once your fever goes down again. Just try and get some rest." Qrow says, her silver eye slowly drifting over to look at him. The fire flickered just behind him, the rest of team RNJR were laying around the fire in their sleeping bags. "We should reach the next village soon so just... just get some rest."

"'appened...?" She asks, struggling to try and keep her eye open.

"I was too late." He runs a hand over his worn face. "I'm sorry."

 **~*Thanks for reading!*~**


End file.
